Sophie Mather, who's worked in the textiles industry for decades, has decided to take action. Along with researchers at Leeds University, she is crowdfunding to develop a new technology that would change how certain materials, like nylon and polyester, are actually made.

Image:Microplastic fibres from our clothes are polluting the world's oceans

She said: "The fashion industry really needs to do a lot more about this. We are seeing fabrics like fleece that are bad fabrics. Those lose a lot of fibres when we are washing them and we need to know more about it."

But it seems that unlike the cosmetics industry, fashion retailers aren't tackling the issue.